The absorption and circular dichroism spectra of Nd-doped Bi12SiO20 crystals were measured in the range 10 000 to 20 000 cm–1. The spectra showed electronic transitions related to only one type of Nd-related center: Nd substituting for Bi in position with symmetry C1. The bands due to the transitions from the first Stark component of the ground state to Stark components of excites states (4I9/2 → 4G5/2 , 4I9/2 → 2G7/2 , and 4I9/2 → 4G7/2) were analyzed in detail. The dipole strength D0k , rotatory power R0k , and anisotropy factor G0k of these transitions were calculated. The intensities of transitions to Stark components were shown to vary by more than one order of magnitude within an excited-state multiplet. The anisotropy factors of the 4I9/2 → 2G7/2 and 4I9/2 → 4G7/2 transitions, allowed in the magnetic dipole approximation, are, on the average, larger than that of the 4I9/2 → 4G5/2 transition, which points to a significant contribution of the magnetic moment (λ λ2) to the total intensity of the transition.